Friday, July 3, 2026

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem

the 40 days of trumpmas - a surreal serial poem


Remember, remember! The fifth of trumpvember

 the 40 days of trumpmas - a serial poem

 

for 40 days the trumpeter reigns,

his lies and hate on whom he disdains,

but election day will come so soon,

we'll no longer hear the orange baboon;

 

in 39 days full of world wide problems.

we could elect him to get rid of the muslims,

but as he'll rant on trivialities of his presidential life,

what could be worse? - you could be his wife;

 

in 38 days just what will you do?

the donald has said he likes lgbtq,

but as he bullies his women and all his men too,

if youre questioning, what stops him from bullying you?

 

in just 37 days, some people are saying,

(or pleading or hoping or some even praying)

the duke of prunes will dye his forelock purple my friend,

and thus make america grape again,

 

our days are down to just 36,

before our problems the don will fix,

he will on day one do what hes said - true,

he'll wall out our enemies - and fat women too!

 

on the 35th day of trumpmas

yes just seven weeks remain!

will the polls and tallies deliver us

donald with his golden mane?

 

34 days and the vice-pipers have piped,

though pence didnt say why donalds suit shouldnt be striped,

he wouldnt defend his master's string pulling,

to make america great? - who do they think they're fooling?

 

just 33 days till the macho tornado,

unless its blown away by hurricane machado,

with women and voters he has so much to loose.

keep your mouth shut donald (unless youre changing your shoes)

 

32 days and we’ve been hit by the big blowhard,

donald spoke here in fla (oh, we had a hurricane too)

this administration gives us playing the race card, a weak economy, and unemployment

but if you want a job you could be donald’s campaign manager (unless youre a jew)

 

31 days, just a month, remains;

will the donald say hes sorry, and his baser impulses restrain?

or keep blaming bill clinton for our moral demise;

when trump speaks to us, our NO votes must be our replies!

 

election comes this time (in 30 days) each 4 years,

time for praise and tears and fears;

as polls will open in many states,

vote early, please dont vote late!

 

down to 29, just a leap february,

and theres still the donald quite

contrary;

donald donald, how does your garden grow?

quoth the master debater, "with pretty maids groped in a row"

 

just 28 days - later or soon,

and the zombies will rise, led by the big goon;

unless everyone gets a reality inoculation,

i might have to move to canada for a well deserved vacation; 

 

now just 27, less than 4 weeks,

no time for you to say 'yikes!' or 'eeeks!'

obama wants to go to mars and colonize it for man,

lets send trump tomorrow! and colonize it for orangutan!

 

26 days are all that remain,

will our democracy and economy go down the drain?

if we all keep listening to the blustering oaf,

will he give jobs and prosperity? - or just half a loaf

 

25 days - will more women speak?,

of the antics of donald who the presidency seeks,

dating 14 year old girls or groping their mothers,

how did the gop pick him over the others?,

 

24 days - were down to two dozen,

the next woman who speaks just might be your cousin,

or mother or sister, aunt, niece, even daughter,

describing the circumstance in which donald caught her,

 

23 days left and trump doesnt yet have as many accusers,

as cosby, but he assures us that they are all really losers,

sent by bankers or hillary with secret agendas,

to disrupt our election of him - our defender!,

 

22 days and we know charity begins at home,

but donalds attention is so prone to roam,

his gift that disappeared to 911 survivors from his foundation?,

oops! maybe donald spent it on a vacation,

 

21 days and trump says the election may be rig-ly,

if hes not the winner and his total's not big-ly,

tremendously higher than hillary gets,

he warns his supporters may all lose their wits,

 

20 days left and while george zimmerman still walks free,

the man who shot at HIM got 20 years - while trayvon got eternity,

trump wants us to support our cops and maintain law and order,

he'll put all the inner city dwellers in jail, and send the immigrant criminals far across the border,

 

19 days left till we all go to pretend,

to elect someone to lead us, as if on it our lives depend,

but wise man, donald trump, already really knows,

who we really voted for - a wolf in president's clothes?,

 

18 days and we bad hombres demand a rebate,

on the ill feelings left since the comments of one candidate,

the debaters have met in their final grudge match,

but only donald can say from whose hands victory will be snatched,

 

17 days and our government is corrupt with quid pro quo,

did you take latin at wharton? is that how you know?,

donald wants us to fire at them all - the bureaucrats lined up in rows,

and believe me, corruption is a subject. that donald really knows,

 

16 days - lets set term limits on all our office holders,

and put all our women in binders - or maybe in folders,

donalds endless complaints are becoming a sour whine,

have a little cheese with that, from wisconsin, where 

hillary's doing fine,

 

15 days and on stocking covered thighs did linger,

two miniature hands with two thumbs and eight tiny fingers,

they belonged to the donald who believed that he owned,

any thing that he wanted - or anyone he got alone,

 

14 days yes only two weeks,

till the duke of orange assends to the throne he seeks?,

to rule all americans, the strong and the weak?,

and dominate the globe with power that's peak?,

 

the 13th day to go - does that seem unlucky?,

not for donald whos lately been appearing quite plucky,

claiming media, polls, and parties are against him,

and rallying his multitudes with wit waxing dim,

 

on the 12th day of trumpmas donald awoke with a jerk,

promptly fired his latest campaign manager (who considered that a perk),

if youre "AAAfroAAAmurikan" and unemployed i can put you to work,

barked donald the businessman from behind his sly smirk,

 

it's the 11th and engineer casey trump is in the caboose,

i hear some of you saying oh no! what's the use,

our campaign will probably just go off the tracks,

but donald says its ok - cause he's got "the blacks",

 

just ten days left yes only one-zero,

til donald is hoping that he'll be your hero,

as new hillary emails come under investigation,

donald hopes to rename camp david to camp donald for

his vacations,

 

like a cat has nine lives we're left with only 9 days,

till we're subject to donald? and his old wicked ways,

on foreign affairs he says he'll save us from isis,

but his domestic affairs are misogyny and crisis,

 

our days are numbered - yes only eight,

till once again we make america great,

by getting rid of candidates who have nothing to add,

goodbye donald you wont make america sad,

 

just one week to go - its day minus seven,

till america's lifted above - to trumpty dump heaven?,

where for rich folks like donald opportunity abounds,

and we keep the working poor with a wall that surrounds,

 

how the time it does fly its already day 6,

till americans problems the donald will fix,

his solutions begin on trumpday number one,

dont you like them? they'll come at the barrel of a gun,

 

Five days to go, baby, One in five,

No one here gets out alive, now,

david dukes not opposed to all jews,

he backs trump - who are you going to choose?,

 

only 4 days left till the armaged-don,

he'll seize power by the horns once he has won,

and donnie will be what he longs for - a winner,

using the FBI to wreak havoc on hillary the sinner,

 

only three left, just a triad of days,

and the donald his supporters continues to amaze,

with hoopla and folderoll made up in his head,

his winning temperament will leave us all dead,

 

just a pair of days - 2 - till trump paradise,

since these words you're reading please heed my advice,

the creatures that surround us are beginning to bite,

'blacks for trump' fear the Illuminati so lets turn out their light,

 

just a single day left till our thanksgiving,

deliver us from donald and preserve the living,

forget sanity and disgard your misgivings,

but pray hard to your gods that they'll be forgiving,

since we've got the nukes why can't we use'em?,

on the road to 2016 why couldn't we lose HIM?,

 

and trumpmas now has finally come,

the tallies will count up to a winning sum,

unless the earth is struck soon by a cataclysmic comet,

to elect a candidate who just makes you want to vomit?,

we wish you a merry trumpmas at this time each 4 years,

if you have'nt voted you've lost the chance to mitigate your fears,

cause donald duck is ready to lead, forget your crocodile tears,

so you'd better get the vaseline and lubricate your rears!

 

stay informed 3

stay informed 3

https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethWarren/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@senatorvanhollen/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@SenatorWhitehouse/videos 

https://www.youtube.com/@AOC/videos 

https://www.youtube.com/@BernieSanders/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@SenatorJeffMerkleyYT/videos

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tfPfyxsdcE

 

  


 

The ICE List Wiki is a public, verifiable record of immigration enforcement activity in the United States.

 The ICE List Wiki is a public, verifiable record of immigration enforcement activity in the United States. 

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The Federal Government Has Made America 250 a Spectacle. These States Want It to Be a Moment for Reflection.

The Federal Government Has Made America 250 a Spectacle. These States Want It to Be a Moment for Reflection.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/state-commissions-a250-illinois-rhode-island-connecticut/ 

The Federal Government Has Made America 250 a Spectacle. These States Want It to Be a Moment for Reflection.

More than any fireworks show, communities around the country want to see themselves reflected in the story of our first 250 years.

Close-up of Donald Trump's face behind a large American flag; the image is repeated and ripples outward.

Mother Jones illustration; Kevin Carter/Getty

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On New Year’s Eve, fireworks bloomed behind the Washington Monument. Along the side of the 550-foot structure, a birthday candle was projected, flickering as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. This spectacle kicked off Freedom 250’s countdown to the semiquincentennial and was followed by animated neoclassic-style graphics overlaid with audio narrating the nation’s “discovery, expansion, independence, and future.” As the narrative unraveled and onlookers watched Christopher Columbus sail across the sea and settlers in wagons push westward, there was no mention of women or people of color.

This display, along with the announcement of a UFC fight on the White House lawn, an IndyCar grand prix near the National Mall, and the Great American State Fair, made it clear that this year’s semiquincentennial is more about creating spectacle in service of President Donald Trump’s idea of America than it is about honoring American history. With each event, the complexities that have brought America to where it is today are erased or sidelined in favor of blind patriotism—a celebration of an uncritical American story centering predominantly white men. 

The sky is pink and purple as the sun sets behind a replica Trump's planned Triumphal Arch and the 110-foot Freedom 250 Ferris wheel on the National Mall. In the foreground, seen from behind, a man wears a sleeveless collared shirt patterned like an American flag.
The Freedom 250–backed Great American State Fair on the National Mall runs through July 10. Al Drago/Getty
A woman in a bright blue jumpsuit and red cowboy hat rides on a black horse in a corral on the National Mall, carrying a large American flag. The US Capitol is visible in the background.
An equestrian performs during a rodeo on the first day of the Great American State Fair. Anna Moneymaker/Getty

But state commissions are also celebrating the anniversary. And some of them are doing a far better job honoring the country’s complexity. These groups, formed by state governor appointments, legislation, and executive orders, are also political and flawed. But they are focusing on their communities, choosing to use the semiquincentennial as a moment to embrace diversity and make history more accessible. This anniversary is more than a celebration; it’s a chance to reexamine America’s story and take stock of those the federal government would rather censor from the larger narrative. 

As these separate state commissions facilitated conversations with local communities, they found that more than any spectacle, people wanted to see themselves and their ancestors in the celebrations of 250 years of the United States. 

In Rhode Island, one of the original 13 colonies, locals know their history and take pride in it. Lauren Fogarty, the commission’s program coordinator, said there’s been an opportunity to hear from more families about their personal connections to the Revolution, including from descendants of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, the first Black battalion in US military history. Although the history of the regiment has often been overshadowed, the anniversary and one of the commission’s grant recipients, the Rhode Island Historical Society, provided an opportunity for author John Rees to discuss the experiences of those soldiers during and after the war at an April event at the John Brown House Museum.

North Carolina’s commission has drawn attention to the Edenton Tea Party, where a group of 51 women gathered to pledge that they wouldn’t buy British goods, one of the earliest instances of women’s political activism. This history is presented in one of the children’s books the commission created in celebration of the semiquincentennial. The commission has sold roughly 3,700 of the three children’s books. It recently secured funding for another children’s book, this one focused on Martin Black, one of the 14 Harlowe Patriots, a group of free Black men who fought in the Revolution.

In Illinois, the state commission created a free passport, similar to the National Parks Passport, that includes nearly 60 sites across the state, illuminating how “people in Illinois have made good on the ideals of the Declaration of Independence,” said Gabrielle Lyon, the Illinois commission chair. “The idea is to connect things that have happened locally here to the formation of our national story.” They’ve distributed 100,000 of them as of June. The passport includes the Elijah P. Lovejoy memorial for the journalist and abolitionist, who was killed by a mob for wanting a free press. It also includes Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, the remnants of the largest pre-Columbian Native American civilization north of Mexico. 

State commissions have also bolstered the work of the expert agencies and organizations that already had programming planned around the semiquincentennial. “No one really needed a commission to say, ‘Hey, here’s what you do and how you do it,’” said Cameron Bean, Georgia’s commission chair. He said people, organizations, and nonprofits needed to “have a commission that said, ‘Hey, how can we serve you?’”

So rather than investing a large portion of its funds into hiring staff or a planning committee, Bean said the Georgia commission decided to focus on giving out grants, helping raise sponsorship money, and promoting events like the African Film Festival Atlanta, the African American Heritage Symposium, and a musical about pioneer women that uses traditional quilt patterns as a storytelling tool. Jason Mancini, vice chair of the Connecticut commission, said over the last three years, his commission has been able to award over $800,000 to over 80 organizations in the state.  

“We didn’t want to make this about drums and guns. This has to be something more, so that people see their children and grandchildren as part of this story.”

Locals have responded positively to this grassroots approach. It doesn’t pull people out of their counties or municipalities to celebrate somewhere else; it allows them to celebrate where they are. As Ansley Herring Wegner, director of North Carolina’s state commission, put it, locals might “see the Washington Monument lit up like a birthday candle on their TV, but we’re going to be at their events. We’re at their parades. We’re at their soccer tournaments.” These grants can also help revitalize third spaces, bring new audiences to organizations that have been working in the state for years, and reinforce the idea that every place has played a part in this country’s history.

Lyon, the Illinois chair, remarked that this year’s celebration has taken a more inclusive approach, setting it apart from previous milestone anniversaries. She said that in 1776 and 1976, festivities left out many Americans, but in 2026, Illinois was committed to inviting as many voices as possible into the commemoration. 

In Rhode Island, Fogarty said she spoke to all 39 municipalities to tell them about the semiquincentennial. The Utah state commission held monthly meetings at which community members could share national and local updates, giving them a chance to amplify each other’s work, draw inspiration from one another, and collaborate with groups they hadn’t worked with before. 

These conversations resulted in events and programming across the states that spoke directly to local history and culture. In Connecticut, an exhibit of different artists’ depictions of the American flag opened at the Fairfield University Art Museum. Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution loaned the Continental Army’s North Carolina brigade sketch to the state. In Boulder, Utah, a local artist spent 250 hours carving handprints into a boulder to commemorate a yearlong commitment to volunteering.

Bean, of Georgia, noted that this variety in programming is a good way to meet people where they are. The hope is that there is something in which everyone can find value and enjoyment.

Some programming also resulted from more complex conversations with communities about reckoning with American history. Mancini has had a long history of working with tribal communities and communities of color, both in Connecticut and outside the state. So when it came time to plan as a commission, he said the group had some hard conversations with Black and Native community members who expressed that they didn’t feel they had been seen as a part of America’s story thus far. 

He recalled one commissioner who represented a Black community organization that had been vocal about the hundreds of Black men who served in the Colonial militia but hadn’t been recognized. “We want to tell those stories,” Mancini said. “We didn’t want to make this about drums and guns. This has to be something more, so that people see themselves today and they can see themselves tomorrow, and they can see their children and grandchildren as part of this story.” 

Cyndi Tolosa, the Connecticut commission’s project manager, listed other initiatives members had hoped to do to make things more inclusive, such as translating more materials into Spanish and doing more outreach in Spanish-speaking communities. She also noted organizations like Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, which was working to create dialogue about immigrants’ and refugees’ contributions to Connecticut and the US.

Although there have been positive responses to this approach, some, like tribal communities in Connecticut, still express apprehension. The founding documents the semiquincentennial celebrates refer to “merciless Indian savages,” and the political and legal framings for much of America’s history have leaned on erasure and extermination. Mancini noted that while some tribes wanted to be vocal, others wanted to keep the commission at arm’s length, a sentiment he understood. Lyon dealt with similar conversations in Illinois with many marginalized communities.

“I think complexity is where we need to be and get comfortable,” Lyon said. “And that’s what’s most interesting and important about this moment. So some people want to be involved, some people choose not to. The commission’s approach has tried to be inclusive and specific and historically accurate to the best of our ability, but also to connect what’s happening now.” 

A year ago, after participating in a panel about Indigenous perspectives on the 250th for a Virginia state commission event, Kitcki Carroll, executive director of United South and Eastern Tribes, met Virginia’s honorary chair, Carly Fiorina. As the event wrapped up, the two continued a conversation about Indigenous perspectives and the anniversary that would later evolve into an event in April that will be released as a documentary this week.

It included a panel surrounding tribal nations’ inherent sovereignty and the United States’ treaty obligations to them, a conversation about creating greater visibility for Native Americans, and a fireside chat with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Carroll noted that the day was meant to be an opportunity to pause and understand the costs associated with the establishment of this nation.

Having more discussions about the ugly side of America’s history serves to “make sure that for the next 250 years that we are not dealing with the same shortcomings and failures that we dealt with during the first 250 years,” Carroll said.

Despite all the work state commissions are doing, it hasn’t been a seamless process. Some commissions have had to navigate funding shortfalls. DOGE cut the funding of the humanities organization unofficially coordinating the celebration in Illinois. Since North Carolina hadn’t passed a budget since 2023, when it ran out after two years, its state commission had a “base budget” of $0. Both commissions have been fundraising and using their own funds and networks of resources to move forward with events.

“From my view, the opportunity is not just about celebrating the 250; to me, the drive, what keeps me going, what I’m inspired by is the idea that the legacy of this moment is the strengthened cultural infrastructure that is at the heart of the American experiment,” Illinois’ Lyon said.   

Many of the state commissions see this commemoration as a moment to honor the value of community. It’s a reminder of all this country has been through, a time to celebrate our differences, and an opportunity to rely on one another. North Carolina’s Wegner said that as a public historian, the semiquincentennial is about giving history to the public in ways they can understand. This happens through the networks they’ve created, the evergreen educational resources that people can reference, and the highlighting of libraries, museums, and nonprofits whose work doesn’t stop after the semiquincentennial. 

As the Fourth of July fast approaches, the state commissions’ efforts to give texture and complexity to American history are a reminder that America’s story belongs to all of us and doesn’t start or end with the founding—or a fireworks show. While thinking about our history, we can consider what, and maybe who, we hope will be displayed on the Washington Monument in the next 250 years. 

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Israel approves plan to establish 13 new settlements in occupied West Bank

 

Israel approves plan to establish 13 new settlements in occupied West Bank

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/3/israel-approves-plan-to-establish-13-new-settlements-in-occupied-west-bank 

Israel approves plan to establish 13 new settlements in occupied West Bank

Palestinian officials warn against the implications of the plan, saying it would further isolate East Jerusalem.

A pro-settlement sign put up by Israeli settlers on the side of a road near Nablus City reads in Hebrew 'Welcome to northern Samaria.We have returned to our homes' in the West Bank. [FILE: Alaa Badarneh/EPA]
A pro-settlement sign put up by Israeli settlers on the roadside near Nablus City reads in Hebrew, 'Welcome to northern Samaria. We have returned to our homes', in the occupied West Bank, Palestine [File: Alaa Badarneh/EPA]

Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved a plan to establish 13 new settlements in the central occupied West Bank, a move Palestinian officials say will further fragment the territory and isolate East Jerusalem from its surrounding Palestinian communities.

Israel’s Channel 7 reported that the cabinet approved the construction of the illegal settlements on Thursday in the Binyamin regional area, one of the largest settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.

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It is situated along Route 60, the central north-south artery running through the West Bank that links Palestinian cities, including Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem, while also connecting major Israeli settlements.

The first phase is expected to begin in the coming months and will include the establishment of four to six new settlements, backed by investments worth millions of shekels, Palestine’s Jerusalem governorate said.

Several existing pastoral outposts are also slated for formal legalisation, enabling them to receive government funding and infrastructure, it added.

The plan focuses on two main corridors: areas northwest of Jerusalem and west of Ramallah along Route 60, and territory extending eastward towards the Jordan Valley.

The Jerusalem governorate said the scheme is designed to link settlement blocs, tighten Israeli control over strategic hilltops and restrict Palestinian territorial continuity.

“The plan seeks to create new geographical realities on the ground,” the governorate added in a statement, warning that the expansion would “undermine the prospects of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state.”

The governorate linked the acceleration of settlement activity to domestic political calculations in Israel, particularly with Knesset elections approaching.

It described the measures as “a dangerous escalation” and “violations of international law,” calling on the international community to intervene.

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The approval comes amid an unprecedented surge in Israeli settlement activity.

New data from the Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR) shows that the number of new settlement outposts has soared in recent years. After averaging approximately eight outposts annually between 2012 and 2022, the number jumped to 32 in 2023, then 62 in 2024, reaching 86 during 2025.

The expansion has been facilitated by significant state funding: the Israeli government allocated 28 million shekels ($7.5m) to outposts in 2023 and 75 million shekels ($20m) in 2024, with plans to fund a total of 70 outposts.

The Binyamin plan follows reports that settlement movements are preparing to target Area A, territory under full Palestinian control, in what would constitute a violation of the Oslo Accords.

Palestinian officials have long warned that continued settlement expansion is eroding the viability of a two-state solution, as more than 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem territory Israel captured in the 1967 war.

The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal under international law.