A similar plan was hatched in Evanston, Illinois.

The Department of Justice intervened in a federal class-action lawsuit challenging the program, arguing that its race-based criteria violate the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. I'll keep our readers updated on that one.

I'll keep our readers updated on that one.

I see the Trump crisis management team is hard at work trying to deflect and distract from their complete failure of a President. It is rather funny to watch the panicked desperation though.

hard at work trying to deflect and distract from their complete failure of a President

by avoiding current events like it was a minefield ...

current events

I'm glad that you are ready to discuss current events, the most prominent is the American left's assault on America.

Any thoughts?

Wrong topic. There are other places in the morgue to discuss your feelings on the President.

So much for current events!

Its playtime.

Here:

Any thoughts?

Beyond "that's delusional, why bother interacting with a moronic premise and the one who presented it"? Nope.

Woke=Aware. Now who's stupid?

Any thoughts?

Usually it is just one thought..

Orange an bad

They know nothing else

one who presented it"?

You already did...several times

I'm glad that you are ready to discuss current events, the most prominent is the American left's assault on America.

The most prominent current event is the Iran war.   Trump has painted the USA into a corner with no remotely decent ideas on how to, at the very least, get back to square 0 (where we were before Trump started this illegal war).

Any thoughts?

per Gemini:

The United States has spent an estimated $37.5 billion on the war against Iran so far. This figure—which accounts for offensive/defensive munitions and operational expenses through September 30—was confirmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

The overall economic and taxpayer impact extends beyond initial operational expenditures:

• Additional Funding Requests: The Pentagon is actively asking Congress for an additional $70 billion in emergency funding for the Middle East as part of a larger supplemental budget request.
• Independent Estimates: Some independent organizations and fiscal analysts place the direct cost of operations notably higher, with some analyses citing totals exceeding $113 billion during the first months of the conflict.
• Indirect Costs: Taxpayers are incurring indirect financial liabilities from rising fuel-consumption costs and debt-financed interest. [ 5 , 6 ]

For detailed statements, committee transcripts, and the latest legislative debates regarding ongoing defense budgets, visit the CNN live coverage of the defense hearing or view the Reuters video briefing on Pentagon spending. [ 7 ]

I'm glad that you are ready to discuss current events, the most prominent is the American left's assault on America.

Read the DSA platform.  The looney left is the worst threat to democracy we have seen in our lifetime.

Trump has the power.   The 'looney left' might turn into a problem if the Ds gain power, but right now the immediate problem for at least two more years is Trump.

the most prominent is the American left's assault on America.Any thoughts?

Conspiracies run amuck?

The looney left is the worst threat to democracy we have seen in our lifetime

sure, sure, you go ahead and tell yourself whatever it takes to sleep at night after voting for a wannabe dictator who has his gestapo shooting Americans in the street and is currently grifting America.

U.S. President Donald Trump has earned billions of dollars from family business ventures and his investments over his past 16 months in the White House, according to research by watchdog groups and media outlets.

How Trump and his family keep profiting from his presidency | CBC News

President Trump’s family members, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and sons Eric and Don Jr., are expanding their business ventures, earning hundreds of millions of dollars and prompting fresh concerns about influence peddling and conflicts of interest.

Tracking the Trump family's business deals and profits in his 2nd term | PBS News

From tariffs to military aid: How Trump uses the presidency to enrich his family businesses

How Trump uses the presidency to enrich his family businesses – NBC4 Washington

But no, please do go on about a small third of one political party that is never going to see their pipedreams come true while your dear Leader robs us all blind.

"We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated," - Donald J Trump

Yes, he surely does, because he couldn't be doing what he's doing without them. They are the gift that keeps the grift going, out here working hard for their dear Leader, doing anything, even making fools of themselves, all to distract from the monumental cluster fuck dumpster fire that is this administration.

Read the DSA platform. 

You read the DSA platform if it interests you.  I'm sure it impresses the crap out of the 100,000 supposedly registered members that represent

0.0022222222222222% of the Democratic party.

It is one of those statistics that does not warrant any attention.

 The looney left is the worst threat to democracy we have seen in our lifetime.

Comical, while the Emperor bankrupts the nation. 

0.0022222222222222% of the Democratic party.

If they don't focus on the tiny fractions, then they'll have to address the elephant in the room. I think they prefer keeping their eyes glued to the microscope.

"Shhhh! Stop bothering me about the country being on fire! I've almost located some voter fraud and enough socialist democrats to claim they're a threat! Hold on, let me grab the next slide!"...

The 'looney left' might turn into a problem if the Ds gain power

The sane need to make sure that doesn't happen.  Either the dems take care of their problem or the voters at the booth have to take care of it for them.

That is more important than a guy that won the election and is president no matter how much people whine about it.

But but but Trump noted

You read the DSA platform if it interests you. 

And you keep your head in the sand if you want to

I'm sure it impresses the crap out of the 100,000 supposedly registered members that represent

They are invited into the dem tent and are getting a stronger foothold in the party.  They are a clear and present danger.

Stop bothering me about the country being on fire!

They don't exist!  Pay no attention to them....  

First there was DSA member Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, which was followed this year by a surge of DSA triumphs. Mamdani and the DSA backed three Democratic primary candidates in New York City House districts—Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez—all of whom won. Notably, these wins came not against moderates but against firmly progressive Democrats, including Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat, who Chevalier ousted.

Other high-profile DSA victories include Chris Rabb securing the Democratic nomination for a Philadelphia House seat and Milat Kiros winning the Democratic nomination for a Denver House seat (ousting a 30-year incumbent in the process). Rabb will run unopposed in November, and Kiros is almost certain to win as well. In addition, DSA members Donavan McKinney of Michigan (Detroit/Wayne County) and Cori Bush of Missouri (St. Louis) are favored to garner Democratic nominations for heavily Democratic House seats and are also likely to swell the DSA Congressional delegation.

And it’s not just the House! DSA member Francesca Hong is mounting a strong campaign for the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and DSA-backed Abdul El-Sayed is favored to grab the Michigan Democratic nomination for Senate. If nominated, both stand an excellent chance of winning the general election. DSA member Janeese Lewis George recently secured the Democratic nomination for Washington, D.C. mayor, and DSA member Nithya Raman has advanced to a runoff against incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

aei

And AOC is a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President.....

like the Tea party?

Seems some folks seem so caught up in everything Trump they are not aware their party is being taken over.  Or they know and just don't want to admit it.......yet. 

like the Tea party?

Cori Bush of Missouri (St. Louis) are favored to garner Democratic nominations for heavily Democratic House seats and are also likely to swell the DSA Congressional delegation.

I didn't realize she was coming back.  You'd think her ability to cure cancer by touching people could be put to better use than in Congress, but I guess using taxpayer dollars to pay her boyfriend to protect her makes more sense financially for the miracle worker. 

If Van Jones is worried about them you know they are toooooo far left and a real threat to democracy.  A real one, not one people have been trying to convince others of since 2015

But but but Trump noted

But but but socialists noted.

If Van Jones is worried about them

Since I'm not a crazy rightwing conservative with their head up Trumps ass, I would be open to inviting any of the card-carrying social democrats over for a meal to find out what makes them tick. [deleted]

[✘] Why do you fear social democrats so much? I can show you where Trumps ICE agents shot Alex Pretti, can any rightwing conservative show us where the social democrats touched them on the doll? Why are they cowering in fear looking like they're about to piss themselves at the mention of a 'socialist'? Their grandmas have been getting the scary 'social security' checks for years.

Do you even know who Van Jones is?

Nice try

Do you even know who Van Jones is?

I do watch CNN at times, though it's not my favorite choice of news. I prefer PBS Newshour and the BBC.

[deleted][✘]

Nice try

As was yours. SDS seems fairly prevalent among conservatives for some reason. Socialist Derangement Syndrome often affects poorly educated white males who know very little about what socialism actually is and have only learned to hate it just like they learned to hate gays, women who say no and liberals.

OF course. Literal left wing state propaganda. 

I really can't fathom how far up an ass one's head must be to have that kind of perspective about PBS.

WEDU PBS - For the 23rd year in a row, PBS has been named... | Facebook

#1 for News and Public Affairs

• PBS remains the network with the most trusted news and public affairs programs, with 40 percent trusting its programs a “great deal.” Fox News Channel was second with 29 percent and CNN was third at 27 percent. ¹
• In an effort to measure bias, the survey concluded that 40 percent of Americans rated the news coverage, investigations and discussions of major issues on PBS programs as “mostly fair” (when asked to choose among “liberal,” “mostly fair” and “conservative”).  NBC and ABC tied for second by 33 percent of the respondents, CNN (31 percent), NPR (29 percent), Fox News Channel (25 percent) and MSNBC (24 percent). ¹
• More than 75 percent of the public believes PBS addresses key news, public affairs and social issues “very/moderately” well, including providing access to arts and culture (88 percent); promoting understanding of science and technology (82 percent); providing access to a variety of viewpoints (78 percent); informing people about health issues (77 percent); and informing people about important political and social issues (76 percent). ¹   

#1 in Children’s Media

• PBS KIDS earned the #1 ranking as the most educational media brand for children, receiving 21 percent of the top ratings from respondents. National Geographic Kids was second with 13 percent of respondents and Nick Jr. received five percent. ²
• PBS KIDS remains the most essential source of children’s programming, with 67 percent  of respondents stating that PBS’ children’s service is “very important,” compared to 49 percent for cable and 44 percent of commercial broadcast television. ¹    Eighty-nine percent of respondents believe it is “very important” for PBS to provide children’s programming.   ²

Excellent Tax Dollar Value

• About 80 percent of respondents, across all age groups, ethnicity, income and education level measured, believe funding for PBS is money “well spent.” Respondents also found PBS an “excellent” use of tax dollars, second only to military defense and ahead of public schools. ¹
• A near majority of Americans believe the federal funding PBS receives is insufficient. When informed that public broadcasting receives 15 percent of its funding from the government, and that this amount translates to about one dollar per person per year of government support, 46 percent believe this amount is “too little,” 39 percent say it’s “about right” and only 11 percent state that it’s “too much.

PBS | About PBS | Highlights of the 2009 Roper Public Opinion Poll on PBS

PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to US democracy PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to US democracy

If a person can't trust PBS then they're a fucking moron conspiracy theorist who likely only drinks their media straight from Trumps teat.

Van Jones in an ultra liberal concerned about the DSA and how whacked  out they are.

Irrelevant to my comment about DSA.

Van Jones

I'm sure you value all of his opinions.

[deIeted][✘]

deflection

refraction

Van Jones in an ultra liberal concerned about the DSA and how whacked  out they are.

And now tell me something I didn't know. I re-read what you must be stuck on and no, I was not meaning Van Jones was a "crazy rightwing conservative with their head up Trumps ass", I was referring to others who constantly and vociferously defend Trump and are whining about socialists everywhere. Van Jones is definitely a liberal, though I wouldn't go so far as to call him ultra-liberal. He often pushes back hard against what he sees as regressive socialism in the Democratic party.

The current problem is not the Ds.   And you are just imagining future problems.   

The problem right now and for the next 2+ years is Trump.

But but but Trump noted

When one mostly deflects from Trump to the Ds, comments like the quote are pure hypocrisy.

It is absolutely revolutionary

The dems have been rooting for Iran since the beginning of the war.

When has that happened before?

That is their entire campaign for the midterms

And now tell me something I didn't know.

Then you totally miss the point.

The current problem is not the Ds.   And you are just imagining future problems.    The problem right now and for the next 2+ years is Trump.

Trump is president.  All the crying, whining and daily reports of orange man bad are not going to change that.

The DSA is gaining a foothold in the dem party.  The time to act is not before it gets worse and we really do have an attack on democracy.

When one mostly deflects from Trump to the Ds

What about those that try to make everything about Trump?

The dems have been rooting for Iran since the beginning of the war.

This is a fine example of partisan fiction.

Because you can't defend Trump's actions, you invent a false position for the Ds.

The Ds, in general, are NOT rooting for Iran.   They, et. al., are properly criticizing Trump's continued incompetence and poor judgment.

Using your absurdly partisan tactic, one could have accused the Rs of "rooting for the Taliban" on Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal.  That would have been just as false.

Reality, not partisan fiction.

The Ds, in general, are NOT rooting for Iran. 

I've read the comments. I know what I'm seeing.

How did New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman put it? Though he doesn’t like the Iranian regime, he doesn’t want to see Trump or Bibi Netanyahu getting credit for what would be a historic win for global peace.

I like your graphic, and it is realistic.

Tens of billions of dollars of our high-grade bombs have pummeled Iran.

And they are indeed claiming victory.

Are you familiar with the term "Pyrrhic victory"?    This occurs (in history) when a military defeat is coupled with a tactical (or strategic) victory.   Iran is engaging in asymmetric warfare with the USA and Israel.   The key tactic is the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the total disinterest in collateral damage to Iranian civilians.   Iran is now using the Strait of Hormuz as strategic leverage. Trump forced Iran to play that card, and having demonstrated its effectiveness, Iran has every incentive to use it again.  It now has empirical evidence of the economic disruption the tactic can cause and of how difficult and costly it is for the United States to neutralize.

Do you recognize the level of incompetence and poor judgment of Trump to engage in an illegal, expensive war whose upfront objectives ("unconditional surrender", "regime change", "eliminate nuclear ambitions") were not achieved and instead Trump placed the USA (and the world) in a much worse position.   It would be a great achievement, from where we are, to just get to Obama's JCPOA.

I've read the comments. I know what I'm seeing.

It is your fantasy, Vic;  it is not reality.

There will always be outliers.   It is fallacious to take outliers and generalize to a whole (that is called hasty generalization).   It results in unsound conclusions ... like your claim.

Are you familiar with the term "Pyrrhic victory"?    This occurs (in history) when a military defeat is coupled with a tactical (or strategic) victory.   Iran is engaging in asymmetric warfare with the USA and Israel.   The key tactic is the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the total disinterest in collateral damage to Iranian civilians.   Iran is now using the Strait of Hormuz as strategic leverage. Trump forced Iran to play that card, and having demonstrated its effectiveness, Iran has every incentive to use it again.  It now has empirical evidence of the economic disruption the tactic can cause and of how difficult and costly it is for the United States to neutralize.

Iran is a fanatical religious regime. It wants to destroy Israel, western civilization and the US. They believe that the regime's survival is victory and they want to fight with every last breath. Their strategy isn't so much about controlling the strait or trying to get oil prices to rise or trying to increase the number of US casualties. Those things are all part of effecting the US midterm elections. If they can help get the democrats back into power in congress, they will then have a true victory. The war, if still necessary will stop. The only important goal of this war IMHO is to kill every last member of the regime and overthrow it. I believe that will require arming opposition groups in Iran.


Do you recognize the level of incompetence and poor judgment of Trump to engage in an illegal, expensive war 

Congress allowed Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to do exactly the same thing. You have not a leg to stand on with that.


 It would be a great achievement, from where we are, to just get to Obama's JCPOA.

That is how Iran got to 60% enrichment. Nobody can deal with Iran. That regime is the evilest in human history.

You can no longer say that there are only a few radicals. The party is now led by them and there are many.

Trump has already fucked up the Iran situation. That cannot be undone, but he will try and save face as best he can. 

The idea that a great victory can be salvaged from these shambles is a pipe dream. 

There is no fuckup. He simply made that move at the wrong time. (What caused that was somebody telling him that all of Iran's leaders were in one spot.) He should have waited until after the midterms and if the GOP ever manages to hold onto congress, that regime in Iran will be sent straight to hell.


As someone famous once said:

"I would be willing, yes glad, to see a battle every day during my life."



Heading out ...Later.

Iran is a fanatical religious regime...every last breath.

We know this.   Iran is a threat to the planet.

If they can help get the democrats back into power in congress, they will then have a true victory.

More fantasy.   Iran wants to destroy infidels.   So far, Trump has done a fine job of weakening our influence over Iran.

The only important goal of this war IMHO is to kill every last member of the regime and overthrow it. I believe that will require arming opposition groups in Iran.

Regime change has been a 100% failure.   What magical event do you think is going to happen to effect regime change in Iran?

Congress allowed Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to do exactly the same thing.

No PotUS has fucked up the Iranian situation more than Trump.   Deal with reality, not partisan fiction!

That is how Iran got to 60% enrichment.

You totally missed the point.   The point is that Trump has incompetently wasted blood and treasure only to put the USA and the world in a place worse than with JCPOA.

Why you are posting a picture of Custer while discussing the war in Iran is anybody's guess. 

That is ridiculous.   Get a grip.

How can you be so focused on the Ds when Trump is fucking up our nation?    Good grief man, pay attention to what is going on.   We are living under arguably the most corrupt administration in our history.   Trump is a wild card.   He is an incompetent, irrational, irresponsible, vindictive, lawless, pathological lying, immoral, corrupt psychopath.   He has surrounded himself with sycophants who will carry out his reactionary, ill-conceived ideas and unabashedly engage in outrageous levels of lying to support the abysmal human being.

How anyone can not see this is flat out amazing.

I've read the comments. I know what I'm seeing.

God bless you and save you if you develop a world view based on the comments here or anywhere on the internet.

You got race on the brain bro. 

No, I don't think its me.

You got race on the brain bro. 

He has a 'race' on the brain, aka the midterms as all conservatives do and they're panicking because they know they're going to get slaughtered due to their very bad choice of President. He's so toxic right now only his inbred bigoted sycophants are willing to crawl out of the woodwork to defend him. It's quite a feat they've accomplished though, to combine such high levels of stupidity with clearly off the chart's denial.

got race on the brain bro.

Vic isn't  on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors

I see that the recently posted article about Bonhoffer and his ideas about stupidity has had little effect on this place. 

I see that the recently posted article about Bonhoffer and his ideas about stupidity has had little effect on this place.

Nope. People are still desperately throwing out silly moronic seeds like this one about one county in one state voting on doing something that doesn't affect anyone but themselves, all to deflect and distract from the disaster of an administration and another unprovoked endless war in the middle east. They say you can fix ignorance with an education, but it's clear you just can't fix stupid.

[✘]

The insane racist party that is the Democratic Party

removed for context

First is the fact that California was always a free state and had no part in "slavery." 

There you go teaching a subject you know nothing about because you are only interested in tearing down that which you do not understand or appreciate. You don't have to live in California to get the truth though, the internet is full of real lessons.

Slavery in California

When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the mission system declined, and the secularization of land began. However, the practice of exploiting Indigenous labor persisted, now under Mexican landowners and settlers. With the U.S. annexation of California and the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, the influx of white settlers and fortune-seekers dramatically escalated the violence and displacement against Native peoples. The California Gold Rush era was a critical turning point in the evolution of slavery and human exploitation in the state. During this period, many white settlers openly enslaved Native Americans through a system known as "Indian indenture." These so-called "apprenticeships" were legalized by the 1850 Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, which allowed white settlers to arrest, convict, and contract Indigenous people, including children, for unpaid labor. Thousands of Indigenous people were captured, sold, and trafficked across the state in a shadow economy of human bondage.

 

This system was not simply tolerated by the state government—it was actively endorsed and subsidized. California's first governor, Peter Hardeman Burnett, openly advocated for the extermination of Native Americans and oversaw state-funded militias that conducted genocidal raids on Indigenous communities. Between 1850 and 1870, California spent over $1.5 million (equivalent to tens of millions today) reimbursing private militias for hunting Native people, killing men, and capturing women and children for forced labor. These acts of state-sanctioned genocide and slavery laid the foundation for California's rapid economic growth in its early decades. Gold mining, agriculture, railroad construction, and infrastructure development—all of which depended on cheap or coerced labor—were instrumental in transforming California into a wealthy and powerful state.

 

African Americans also faced bondage and systemic exclusion in California despite the nominal status of freedom. Many white slaveholders from the South brought their enslaved Black laborers to California during the Gold Rush era, using them to dig for gold or work in households. Though California's constitution of 1849 prohibited slavery, enforcement was weak, and many local authorities turned a blind eye to enslavers who continued the practice. Courts often ruled in favor of slaveholders, especially if the enslaved persons had not officially petitioned for their freedom or had not been in the state for long.

 The infamous case of Archy Lee in 1858 epitomizes the legal contradictions of slavery in California. Lee, an enslaved man brought to Sacramento by his Mississippi owner Charles Stovall, escaped and sought asylum with free Black residents. Though California law technically protected Lee's freedom, a local judge initially ruled he should be returned to his master. The case drew national attention, prompting protests from the Black community and abolitionist groups. Only after intense public pressure did the state supreme court overturn the ruling, freeing Lee. This case highlighted both the legal precariousness of Black life in California and the tension between its anti-slavery rhetoric and pro-slavery practices.

 

As the state industrialized, it continued to rely on exploitative labor systems that bore the legacy of slavery. Chinese immigrants, brought to the U.S. in large numbers during the mid-19th century, were subjected to conditions akin to slavery in railroad construction, agriculture, and domestic work. Many were lured to California under false promises and quickly became victims of debt bondage, wage theft, violence, and exclusionary laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Similarly, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, and other non-white laborers were systematically exploited in California's booming agricultural sector throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though not legally slaves, these laborers were constrained by racialized laws, segregated housing, poverty wages, and coercive labor contracts that restricted mobility and rights.

Slavery in California

The anger at pointing out the Democrats' racialist policies is real...

Deny, Delete, Deflect....

Deny, Delete, Deflect....

So another day here on NT.

So let me get this straight.  A state is promising reparations to people who never experienced slavery and it's supposed to be paid for by the people who never held slaves.

I have a couple questions:

1. How are they determining who was a "descendent of slavery"? . 
2. What is their plan when more than blacks are found to be a descendent of slavery?
3. Where does California plan on getting the money to make these "payments".  The state is already billions in debt.

The best part of all this is that California is about one third foreign born and now has an overall population that is about 45 per cent Hispanic. Another question might be how will those stuck with the bill react?

45% hispanic.  Another demographic that was held as slaves and held slaves.  The justification from that should be interesting to see.

It should be very interesting.