Robert, thank you for parsing out the legal problems Trump faces and the tough problems faced by those prosecuting him. I am gobsmacked again at Trump’s arrogance with the lies and veiled threats. I understand how reluctant any judge would be to jail Trump. But the man is painting a target on military personnel, judges and prosecutors. Time to remove his access to the media at the very least.
Thanks also for the photos of the air show and highlighting the young military families. I am the daughter, sister and widow of WWII and Vietnam veterans. My late husband died of ALS, which sadly is a service-related illness - upwards of 20% of people diagnosed with ALS in any one year are current or former military. When Trump called disabled veterans “losers” and demanded that he never again see any wounded warriors, well I won’t say what I said about him. You’ve asked us to keep our language clean and I respect that.
What I would like though is for Trump to be forced to silently walk through any VA hospital in the country. To see the broken, mangled bodies in wheel chairs, to hear the gasps of pain from those undergoing physical therapy, and to have to listen to the anxious, bored young kids in the waiting rooms- who would much rather be outside playing but instead sit with a parent or grandparent in the waiting room while the other parent gets the medical care they need. I will issue a special invitation that he be forced to go to the spinal care unit at the Minneapolis VA where my husband and I spent many hours. He should be forced to watch the slow, painful, devastating progression of ALS all the while knowing that the only outcome is death. And to witness the incredible competence of the entire staff of that unit including the legless Vietnam Vet who greeted Glen and me to ensure we were masked up and used the hand sanitizer before we entered - he would gently pick up Glen’s useless hands, rub the sanitizer over them, and thank us for our service to our country.. Made our day better. Every time.
That same VA hospital is now treating many wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Regardless whether McCarthy survives, I sincerely hope we find a way to continue to support the fight against Putin and autocracy. MAGAts be damned.
The picture you shared with us fantastic and if you were not an attorney you could have been a professional photographer. My reflections on the Trump trial is his constant attacks clearly demonstrates he has no defense or he would talk about it. I don’t like Kevin McCarthy but anything that rids the House of Matt Gaetz I support and I don’t trust Clarence Thomas and I think his recusal was more for show than anything substantial and as the saying goes for Trump, McCarthy and Thomas “ you can’t change the stripes on a zebra”
Thanks Robert as always. The recusal of Judge Thomas is an admission of guilt both of him and his wife Ginni. What Hakeem Jeffries does in the next two days ( with I am sure advice from Ms. Pelosi) will be critical. I think regardless of what happens the Democratic Party must like Joe Biden and General Milley must continue to speak up loudly as to the clear choices for 2024. There are no guarantees, every moment is critical.
Mr. Hubbell, I very much appreciate your and your managing editor’s efforts to produce such intelligent commentary. I have been a listener for three years and this is my first comment. It refers to day’s phrase, “whatever you think of the military.” I understand the need to include the phrase but when I heard it, I thought of General Mark Milley’s recent comment: “My duty and responsibility is to the Constitution, that’s where my loyalty is.” Two of my three children and my husband serve or served their country in the military. I believe this is why they vote for democracy and the rule of law. When we say: “Thank you for your service, their selfless service is to the constitution and democracy. We can all sleep better knowing that these smart, patriotic citizens put democracy above self and tyranny. Thank you. Jan G.
"Putting a presidential candidate in jail for violating the pretrial conditions of release would be a traumatic event for the nation." The intimidation of judges, prosecutors, and witnesses is particularly dangerous. We have already seen acts of violence that could be identified as a product of Trump's comments. A judge might jail Deranged Donald for an hour. That would mean welcoming the press watching him go to jail and be released. If that does not stop him from trying cases in public, a judge might try two hours. And so on.
I thought Trump's threat against General Milley, a likely witness in the DC trial, was clearly contempt of court and should have landed the bastard in jail.
"Putting a presidential candidate in jail for violating the pretrial conditions of release would be a traumatic event for the nation." And as you point out, let's hope the comments and fits of rage from Trump don't inspire violence.
But I would like to ask this:
Haven't we been living in a continuous state of trauma - trauma after trauma - as we watch and listen to someone who led our country speak like the truly "deranged" actor? The majority of Americans are traumatized daily by this monster. His threats should be shut down now. To not do so is to be intimidated by a minority of fascists. Lock him up and silence him for the safety of the public servants who risk their lives for us. Can you imagine what the judges and prosecutors lives are like right now? Protect them as they attempt to protect us from the Wannabe Dictator. And give us all a break from this insanity.
Hakeem Jeffries is playing 3 dimensional chess. To support McCarthy now ensures dealing with the devil you know. But, at the end of the day, McCarthy is still a feckless politician in it for the money, power, corner office, and Fox News appearances. I'd much prefer a serious and patriotic Republican who represents the majority of Republicans and not the Jim Jordan Freedom Caucus of of unpatriotic and immoral grandstanders.
I was inspired by Kathy Rawle's call to action to urge my own town's public library to join. We are a mighty tiny library, but every little bit helps! Thank you, Robert, for highlighting Kathy's comment. Also, thanks for the photo with beautiful beachfront included!
Nice to see that Huntington Beach show is back. Was there in 2019 before the pnademic. The RAF Red Arrows were there on their anniversary world tour - never ever thought I'd see them. The Canadian Snowbirds were there. And the Thunderbirds. I wish they'd get a new jet - they've had the F-16 for 40 years now. Having first seen them at age 10 when they were in "plank wing" F-84s, and in the five different types in between before the F-16, the show was different with the different airplanes. The best for a show was the T-38, since it was maneuverable enough it didn't have to fly into the next county to turn around.
Oct 3, 2023·edited Oct 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Great pic, Robert! ✈️ My family,including active duty and aging vets, enjoyed a day at the beach with Thunderbirds at April air show. Perhaps you saw AF Capt “ MAD” Lindsay Johnson,A10 demo pilot, a local millennial making us proud. 👩✈️
Oct 3, 2023·edited Oct 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
First of all, that Huntington Beach shot is a great moment in photojournalism! And as for Trump, holding the fraudulent wannabe dictator accountable for the many times he has violated the pretrial conditions of release may be traumatic for him, the other miscreants in his family and the legions of MAGA fascists who worship him, but it would be salutary for the nation. The former president's threat to have General Milley executed was the last straw for me and many of my fellow brothers in arms, causing us to wonder about Judge Chutkan's integrity as Trump continues to terrorize officials and witnesses and publicly express his contempt for the rule of law. It's time to outfit the Tangerine- Tainted Terror in an orange jumpsuit!
I hope that Gaetz's shenanigans end the reign of Subwoofer McCarthy, and the Republicans are forced to replace him with someone the Democrats can work with. In my opinion, the Dems should not help him, either passively or actively without some ironclad concessions.
As I wrote yesterday in my own piece on the subject :
"For their part, I don’t believe the Democrats should support McCarthy in his bid to remain Speaker. He has shown that he can’t be trusted, and his criticisms of Democrats and President Biden in the wake of his surrender do not inspire confidence that he’s suddenly become a moderate who seeks to find middle ground. Referring back to the House Practice guide, “The Speaker's role as presiding officer is an impartial one, and his rulings serve to protect the rights of the minority.” McCarthy has been anything but impartial, and has relentlessly attacked the rights of the minority.
"Matt Gaetz has promised to move to vacate the chair this week. While he’s been significantly weakened by McCarthy’s about-face, he’s also sufficiently vindictive enough to punish McCarthy for his betrayal. Such a move at this time would bring the House to a halt (as if it would be noticed), but delaying it runs the risk of causing chaos again in 6 weeks, just before the holidays. Democrats would do well to leave McCarthy twisting in the wind, unless they can extract ironclad agreements from him for power-sharing, conciliation, shutting down the sham impeachment inquiry, and revising the House Rules.
"The dysfunction that the House under Subwoofer McCarthy has wrought has come to a head at a critical time for our country. With the 2023 election a month from now, and the need for the budget to be resolved quickly, the pressure should be on the Republicans to move toward the middle. If they do, they may be able to find common ground with Democrats to actually solve the problems of immigration, the deficit, and holding funding recipients accountable for waste and fraud. By doing so, they would be fulfilling their legislative duty, rather than forcing President Biden to act in their stead and then criticizing him for their failure.
"Ending McCarthy’s reign would provide the House with the opportunity to fill the de facto vacancy of the chair that occurred at the beginning of this Congress. The House has reached a fork in the road. It remains to be seen if the House has the wisdom and the courage to take it."
I believe that Thomas recused himself because Eastman WAS THOMAS’ CLERK - not because of his wife’s connection to the events of Jan 6. We can expect him to continue to sit on those cases.
As a very new Air Force enlisted man in 1957 I saw the Thunderbirds perform at Kessler Air Force Base, Mississippi. I have seen them several times since. They always make me proud to be an American and proud to be an Air Force veteran.
We have so often been disappointed but today reading you and HCR I feel as if the tide has really turned, the dam has broken. Traitor Trump is finally getting his just desserts. I won’t be surprised if he is soon locked up and removed of his cell phone.
Robert, thank you for parsing out the legal problems Trump faces and the tough problems faced by those prosecuting him. I am gobsmacked again at Trump’s arrogance with the lies and veiled threats. I understand how reluctant any judge would be to jail Trump. But the man is painting a target on military personnel, judges and prosecutors. Time to remove his access to the media at the very least.
Thanks also for the photos of the air show and highlighting the young military families. I am the daughter, sister and widow of WWII and Vietnam veterans. My late husband died of ALS, which sadly is a service-related illness - upwards of 20% of people diagnosed with ALS in any one year are current or former military. When Trump called disabled veterans “losers” and demanded that he never again see any wounded warriors, well I won’t say what I said about him. You’ve asked us to keep our language clean and I respect that.
What I would like though is for Trump to be forced to silently walk through any VA hospital in the country. To see the broken, mangled bodies in wheel chairs, to hear the gasps of pain from those undergoing physical therapy, and to have to listen to the anxious, bored young kids in the waiting rooms- who would much rather be outside playing but instead sit with a parent or grandparent in the waiting room while the other parent gets the medical care they need. I will issue a special invitation that he be forced to go to the spinal care unit at the Minneapolis VA where my husband and I spent many hours. He should be forced to watch the slow, painful, devastating progression of ALS all the while knowing that the only outcome is death. And to witness the incredible competence of the entire staff of that unit including the legless Vietnam Vet who greeted Glen and me to ensure we were masked up and used the hand sanitizer before we entered - he would gently pick up Glen’s useless hands, rub the sanitizer over them, and thank us for our service to our country.. Made our day better. Every time.
That same VA hospital is now treating many wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Regardless whether McCarthy survives, I sincerely hope we find a way to continue to support the fight against Putin and autocracy. MAGAts be damned.
The picture you shared with us fantastic and if you were not an attorney you could have been a professional photographer. My reflections on the Trump trial is his constant attacks clearly demonstrates he has no defense or he would talk about it. I don’t like Kevin McCarthy but anything that rids the House of Matt Gaetz I support and I don’t trust Clarence Thomas and I think his recusal was more for show than anything substantial and as the saying goes for Trump, McCarthy and Thomas “ you can’t change the stripes on a zebra”
Thanks Robert as always. The recusal of Judge Thomas is an admission of guilt both of him and his wife Ginni. What Hakeem Jeffries does in the next two days ( with I am sure advice from Ms. Pelosi) will be critical. I think regardless of what happens the Democratic Party must like Joe Biden and General Milley must continue to speak up loudly as to the clear choices for 2024. There are no guarantees, every moment is critical.
Mr. Hubbell, I very much appreciate your and your managing editor’s efforts to produce such intelligent commentary. I have been a listener for three years and this is my first comment. It refers to day’s phrase, “whatever you think of the military.” I understand the need to include the phrase but when I heard it, I thought of General Mark Milley’s recent comment: “My duty and responsibility is to the Constitution, that’s where my loyalty is.” Two of my three children and my husband serve or served their country in the military. I believe this is why they vote for democracy and the rule of law. When we say: “Thank you for your service, their selfless service is to the constitution and democracy. We can all sleep better knowing that these smart, patriotic citizens put democracy above self and tyranny. Thank you. Jan G.
"Putting a presidential candidate in jail for violating the pretrial conditions of release would be a traumatic event for the nation." The intimidation of judges, prosecutors, and witnesses is particularly dangerous. We have already seen acts of violence that could be identified as a product of Trump's comments. A judge might jail Deranged Donald for an hour. That would mean welcoming the press watching him go to jail and be released. If that does not stop him from trying cases in public, a judge might try two hours. And so on.
I thought Trump's threat against General Milley, a likely witness in the DC trial, was clearly contempt of court and should have landed the bastard in jail.
"Putting a presidential candidate in jail for violating the pretrial conditions of release would be a traumatic event for the nation." And as you point out, let's hope the comments and fits of rage from Trump don't inspire violence.
But I would like to ask this:
Haven't we been living in a continuous state of trauma - trauma after trauma - as we watch and listen to someone who led our country speak like the truly "deranged" actor? The majority of Americans are traumatized daily by this monster. His threats should be shut down now. To not do so is to be intimidated by a minority of fascists. Lock him up and silence him for the safety of the public servants who risk their lives for us. Can you imagine what the judges and prosecutors lives are like right now? Protect them as they attempt to protect us from the Wannabe Dictator. And give us all a break from this insanity.
Hakeem Jeffries is playing 3 dimensional chess. To support McCarthy now ensures dealing with the devil you know. But, at the end of the day, McCarthy is still a feckless politician in it for the money, power, corner office, and Fox News appearances. I'd much prefer a serious and patriotic Republican who represents the majority of Republicans and not the Jim Jordan Freedom Caucus of of unpatriotic and immoral grandstanders.
I was inspired by Kathy Rawle's call to action to urge my own town's public library to join. We are a mighty tiny library, but every little bit helps! Thank you, Robert, for highlighting Kathy's comment. Also, thanks for the photo with beautiful beachfront included!
Nice to see that Huntington Beach show is back. Was there in 2019 before the pnademic. The RAF Red Arrows were there on their anniversary world tour - never ever thought I'd see them. The Canadian Snowbirds were there. And the Thunderbirds. I wish they'd get a new jet - they've had the F-16 for 40 years now. Having first seen them at age 10 when they were in "plank wing" F-84s, and in the five different types in between before the F-16, the show was different with the different airplanes. The best for a show was the T-38, since it was maneuverable enough it didn't have to fly into the next county to turn around.
Great pic, Robert! ✈️ My family,including active duty and aging vets, enjoyed a day at the beach with Thunderbirds at April air show. Perhaps you saw AF Capt “ MAD” Lindsay Johnson,A10 demo pilot, a local millennial making us proud. 👩✈️
And how bout these teens! ⬇️. 📚
https://www.wusf.org/education/2023-09-14/miami-now-has-banned-books-club-founded-by-16-year-old
First of all, that Huntington Beach shot is a great moment in photojournalism! And as for Trump, holding the fraudulent wannabe dictator accountable for the many times he has violated the pretrial conditions of release may be traumatic for him, the other miscreants in his family and the legions of MAGA fascists who worship him, but it would be salutary for the nation. The former president's threat to have General Milley executed was the last straw for me and many of my fellow brothers in arms, causing us to wonder about Judge Chutkan's integrity as Trump continues to terrorize officials and witnesses and publicly express his contempt for the rule of law. It's time to outfit the Tangerine- Tainted Terror in an orange jumpsuit!
I hope that Gaetz's shenanigans end the reign of Subwoofer McCarthy, and the Republicans are forced to replace him with someone the Democrats can work with. In my opinion, the Dems should not help him, either passively or actively without some ironclad concessions.
As I wrote yesterday in my own piece on the subject :
"For their part, I don’t believe the Democrats should support McCarthy in his bid to remain Speaker. He has shown that he can’t be trusted, and his criticisms of Democrats and President Biden in the wake of his surrender do not inspire confidence that he’s suddenly become a moderate who seeks to find middle ground. Referring back to the House Practice guide, “The Speaker's role as presiding officer is an impartial one, and his rulings serve to protect the rights of the minority.” McCarthy has been anything but impartial, and has relentlessly attacked the rights of the minority.
"Matt Gaetz has promised to move to vacate the chair this week. While he’s been significantly weakened by McCarthy’s about-face, he’s also sufficiently vindictive enough to punish McCarthy for his betrayal. Such a move at this time would bring the House to a halt (as if it would be noticed), but delaying it runs the risk of causing chaos again in 6 weeks, just before the holidays. Democrats would do well to leave McCarthy twisting in the wind, unless they can extract ironclad agreements from him for power-sharing, conciliation, shutting down the sham impeachment inquiry, and revising the House Rules.
"The dysfunction that the House under Subwoofer McCarthy has wrought has come to a head at a critical time for our country. With the 2023 election a month from now, and the need for the budget to be resolved quickly, the pressure should be on the Republicans to move toward the middle. If they do, they may be able to find common ground with Democrats to actually solve the problems of immigration, the deficit, and holding funding recipients accountable for waste and fraud. By doing so, they would be fulfilling their legislative duty, rather than forcing President Biden to act in their stead and then criticizing him for their failure.
"Ending McCarthy’s reign would provide the House with the opportunity to fill the de facto vacancy of the chair that occurred at the beginning of this Congress. The House has reached a fork in the road. It remains to be seen if the House has the wisdom and the courage to take it."
I believe that Thomas recused himself because Eastman WAS THOMAS’ CLERK - not because of his wife’s connection to the events of Jan 6. We can expect him to continue to sit on those cases.
As a very new Air Force enlisted man in 1957 I saw the Thunderbirds perform at Kessler Air Force Base, Mississippi. I have seen them several times since. They always make me proud to be an American and proud to be an Air Force veteran.
We have so often been disappointed but today reading you and HCR I feel as if the tide has really turned, the dam has broken. Traitor Trump is finally getting his just desserts. I won’t be surprised if he is soon locked up and removed of his cell phone.